I was born in Brooklyn (like everybody), but I served in the Israeli army; my first reserve duty was the Six-Day War. My father was a Palestinian--born in Poland, emigrated to Palestine when he was three years old, in 1920. I inherited a deep love of Israel from him. I hate the stream of lies I read and hear daily about Israel. I love Israel's people--all of them.
[Contact me: joel dot orr at gmail dot com]

Saturday, January 11, 2003

A story of cold-blooded murder

Last week, Massoud Mahlouf Elon, a 72-year-old Israeli from the town of Menahemya, did something he had done for years.

He drove into the Jordan Valley, a desolate Arab area where he often brought clothes to donate to poor Bedouin tribes people.

"I begged him not to travel there," said his son Ya'acov.

But Elon enjoyed friendly relations with the local people. They knew him. He knew them. Despite rising tensions between Jews and Arabs, Elon believed his own personal relationships built up over many years would overshadow the dangers just any Israeli might face in the area.

Elon was wrong.

After a 12-hour search of the Jordan Valley using jeeps, helicopters and dogs, Israeli security forces discovered first his charred automobile and later his mutilated and incinerated remains last Thursday. He is believed to have been stoned to death. His face had been bashed beyond recognition.

The Al-Aksa Martyrs Brigades, an Arab terrorist group under the command of Yasser Arafat, immediately began circulating leaflets taking responsibility for the murder.

I have written tens of thousands of words over the years about the Arab-Israeli conflict. I have tried to find new ways of looking at old facts. I have tried to shed light on the mysteries of this ancient blood feud. I have tried to explain the geo-political context of this explosive struggle. I have delved into the spiritual issues. I have reported facts I felt certain would change people's perceptions. I have attempted to shatter myths and misconceptions.

Sometimes, however, the simplest, most direct and most effective way to reach people with the truth is through the personal story.

Massoud Mahlouf Elon's story.

I didn't know Elon. But I feel like I did after reading about him. I've met many men like him in the Middle East, nice men who got along with their neighbors, nice men who would give you the shirt off their back, nice men who didn't care about politics and power.

This man was no threat to anyone. He took no sides in any conflict. He was a Jew who simply loved and cared for his neighbors, his Arab neighbors. And he paid for that love with his life in the cruelest imaginable way.

In the past, I have made the case that Yasser Arafat should be tried, convicted and executed for the murders of high-profile U.S. diplomats. I have made the case that Arafat should pay with his own life for the murders of hundreds, perhaps thousands, of Jews. I have made the case that he should be held accountable for the murder of dozens of America citizens.

But today, I suggest we put all that aside for the moment and simply arrest Yasser Arafat for the murder of Massoud Mahlouf Elon, the 72-year-old Jew with failing eyesight who wanted only to help his Arab neighbors.

I don't care how such an action might inflame his cohorts. I don't care how such an action might impact the "peace process." I don't care how Washington might react to such a move. I don't care.

It's time for justice. It's time to do the right thing.

What good will it do for Israel to lash out and attack some mid-level terrorist in Arafat's chain of command? What good will it do to steamroll over some terrorists' houses? What good will it do to blame anyone else but the mastermind of this cold-blooded murder as well as 40 years of similar atrocities?

Arafat did this. He claims responsibility for the Al-Aksa Martyrs Brigades. This group is an offshoot of his own Fatah Party. Now let him be responsible for their actions.

Joseph Farah's nationally syndicated column originates at WorldNetDaily, where he serves as editor and chief executive officer. If you would like to see the column in your local newspaper, contact your local editor. Tell your paper the column is available through Creators Syndicate.